(WAN/IFEX) – The following is a 3 June 2001 WAN press release: Hong Kong, 3 June 2001 Press Freedom Heroes Gather in Hong Kong Some of the world’s press freedom heroes gathered in Hong Kong on Sunday for a round table discussion that presented success stories from some “hot spots” in the fight for freedom […]
(WAN/IFEX) – The following is a 3 June 2001 WAN press release:
Hong Kong, 3 June 2001
Press Freedom Heroes Gather in Hong Kong
Some of the world’s press freedom heroes gathered in Hong Kong on Sunday for a round table discussion that presented success stories from some “hot spots” in the fight for freedom of expression.
Journalists from 10 countries Albania, Armenia, Colombia, Czech Republic, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, Spain, Syria and Zimbabwe – participated in the conference, organised by the World Association of Newspapers on the eve of the 54th World Newspaper Congress and 8th World Editors Forum.
Attacks, intimidation, censorship, even threats of death are facts of life for these journalists.
“In my line of work, when these threats happen, I just view them as everyday things,” said Armando Neira, the Editor of Semana, in Bogota, Colombia, a country where at least 10 journalists have been murdered in the past two years and 50 remain in exile. Mr Neira calls press freedom violations “just simple things of the trade.”
Other participants had more positive stories to share. Boris Navarsardian, Director of the Yeveran Press Club in Armenia, told of organising joint training events for journalists in Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia, three countries where nationalism and distrust have led to hostilities. “The media provides information about bad news in neighboring countries with pleasure,” he said.
But the training seminars have aimed to stop that by providing a forum where journalists can “see with their own eyes the situation in neighboring countries instead of demonising the enemy.”
Or take the positive case of the Media Development Loan Fund in Prague, Czech Republic, which provides low interest loans to help the survival of media in difficult circumstances, an approach dubbed “venture activism.”
“We are trying to make success stories happen and help others become one,” said Martin Hala of the MDLF. “The ultimate goal is to make clients commercially viable so they don’t have to come back to us, or anyone else, for more help, ever,” he said.
Other participants included:
-Steven Gan, Editor of malaysiakini.com of Malaysia, which was created by journalists unhappy with the one-sided news coverage and lack of press freedom in the country;
-Remzi Lani, Director of the Albania Media Institute and Chairman of the South East European Media Professionals Organisation, a group of 19 media organisations from across the war-decimated Balkans;
-Shaban Abboud, one of the new breed of young Syrian journalists who are pushing the limits of what can be written under a repressive regime;
-Geoffrey Nyarota, Editor in Chief of the Daily News of Zimbabwe, which survived intense government criticism and a bomb blast to become the country’s largest circulation daily;
-Angel Arnedo Gil, Editor of El Correo in the Basque Region of Spain, where journalists must work in an atmosphere of constant intimidation brought about the the terrorist group ETA;
-Najam Sethi, Editor of the Friday Times in Pakistan, a leading voice for freedom of expression in the military ruled country;
-and Grigori Kunis, who presented the perspective of both national and regional independent media in Russia, where press freedom is again under intense pressure.
The round table is an annual part of the World Newspaper Congress and World Editors Forum, the global meetings of the world’s press. More than 1,000 publishers, senior executives, editors and their guests have gathered in Hong Kong for the four-day event organised by the Paris-based WAN.
WAN, the global organisation for the newspaper industry, defends and promotes press freedom world-wide. It represents 17,000 newspapers; its membership includes 67 national newspaper associations, individual newspaper executives in 93 countries, 17 news agencies and eight regional and world-wide press groups.
